Dad charged with aggravated child abuse; 2-month-old son hospitalized with abusive head trauma (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)

This is so standard that I almost forget to point it out anymore. But have you ever noticed how often the headline reports that a "man" did such and such to a child, when it was really the FATHER of the child? This is yet another one of those cases.

It appears that JUSTIN CONNERS is just another one of those dads who "lost his temper" because the baby was crying. So he shook him so violently that the baby started having seizures. Research has consistently shown that these kinds of injuries are most often inflicted by FATHERS, followed by step dads, boyfriends, and babysitters.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20101222/NEWS01/101222017/Man+charged+with+aggravated+child+abuse

Man charged with aggravated child abuse
By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS • MRAGLAND@DNJ.COM • December 22, 2010

A Murfreesboro man was arrested on aggravated child abuse charges Tuesday after detectives investigated injuries to his infant son.

An arrest report filed by Murfreesboro Detective Wayne Lawson said that on Dec. 15, he and Detective Tommy Roberts began the investigation after Justin Conners’ two-month-old son was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center after having seizures.

“The child had extensive injuries that included two subdural bleeds that were caused by abusive head trauma. The two injuries were shown to have occurred on two different occasions,” Lawson reported, adding that the infant had at least one rib fracture that was shown to be in the healing stages at the time he was admitted to the hospital.

Two days later, the detectives interviewed the child’s parents, who denied any knowledge of the injuries. Earlier this week, the detectives interviewed the father alone. Justin Connors, 19, admitted to shaking the infant on Dec. 14 “because the child was crying. He stated that he ‘lost his temper’ and was unaware he had injured the child until the child started having seizures later that evening,” Lawson reported.

The report also stated that the father had no explanation for the previous injuries, other than that the child fell off the couch at about four or five weeks of age. The infant is still hospitalized at Vanderbilt.

Connors is being held at the Rutherford County Jail on $12,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Rutherford County General Sessions Court Jan. 13.